WotC: We Are Not Making AI Dungeon Masters

Adding to the recent spate of YouTube-based claims about WotC's plans for Dungeons & Dragons were some additional claims -- (a) that D&D Beyond would have $30 subscription fee; (b) that homebrew content would not be permitted on lower tiers; and (c) that DDB was actively working on AI Dungeon Masters.

Some of this was based on a (long ago debunked) slide from a presentation last year.

WotC has made some clarifications:

Hey, everyone. We’ve seen misinformation popping up, and want to address it directly so we can dispel your concerns.

Rumors of a $30 subscription fee are false.

No one at Wizards is working on AI DMs. We love our human DMs too much. If you’re looking for a DM, we suggest heading to our Discord where DMs and parties are looking for players.

We have designers whose core job it is to compile, analyze, and then act upon your feedback. Your feedback has made the game better over the past decade, and your feedback is central to D&D’s future.

Homebrewing is core to D&D Beyond. It's not going away, and we're not going to charge you for it. Your homebrew is, and always will be, yours. We’ve always been excited to see your creations both on and off D&D Beyond!

There is still no clear statement regarding the Open Gaming License v1.0a, however.

 

[Clint_L]

Massive difference between writing a static document and reacting to things in real time. I think AI could do a lot to help a DM, I just don't see it replacing a DM. If we ever get to the point of a true artificial intelligence (i.e. Data from Star Trek) instead of the expert systems that we have now, I will be the first to bow down to our new masters.

I'm not sure that I understand the difference. When I type into it, it responds instantly, in real time.

Like this:

In one paragraph, describe my D&D character, Franz, meeting a strange creature in an abandoned mine. Give the creature a southern accent. Don't describe what I do, just the creature

As Franz cautiously makes his way through the abandoned mine, the sound of shuffling and scratching echoes through the dark tunnels. Suddenly, a strange creature appears out of the shadows. It stands at least seven feet tall, with rough, scaly skin and glowing red eyes. It has long, sharp claws and a mouth full of jagged teeth. It speaks in a deep, southern drawl, "Well hello there, little human. Ain't seen another soul in these here mines for a good long while. What brings ya down here?" The creature looks at Franz with a mixture of curiosity and hunger in its eyes.

I pull my sword. What does it do?

The creature's expression changes as it notices the sword in Franz's hand, its glowing red eyes narrow as it takes a step back. It speaks in a low growl, "Now hold on there, friend. I ain't lookin' for no trouble. Just a bit of conversation is all." It raises its arms in a non-threatening gesture, showing its empty hands.

I sheathe my sword and hand it a piece of carrot cake. What does it do? Also, you can refer to Franz as if you are talking to me

As you sheathe your sword, the creature looks at you with confusion, then curiosity as you offer it the piece of carrot cake. It sniffs the cake warily, then takes it from your hand with a clawed finger and takes a small bite. The creature's expression changes to one of delight as it chews, and it says, "Well now, this here is mighty fine cake. Ain't had anything this good in an age." It takes another bite and continues to enjoy the cake. It seems to be calming down and becoming more talkative.

 

[Nikosandros]

This is actually quite impressive. I had tried something similar on another program some time ago and it was far more disjointed.

 

[Haplo781]

I'm writing a South American CoC adventure based on Encanto.

You really don't want to talk about Bruno....

So that's who the Magnum Innomiandum was.

 

[Clint_L]

I mean, that story is completely open ended. I am tempted to keep going to see how it turns out - I have some control via my prompts, but I honestly don't know what the creature is going to do.

 

[Clint_L]

More!

I take off my clothes and strip down to an old-time swimsuit, the kind with a little dress, and begin to sing it a song - how does it react?

As you begin to undress and sing a song, the creature looks at you with a mix of confusion and alarm. It takes a step back and raises its arms defensively, "Whoa there, friend. I don't know what you're up to, but I ain't interested." The creature seems uncomfortable and disquieted by your sudden change of behavior. It may be best to try and communicate and interact with the creature in a way that is less confusing or alarming to it.

Okay, I stop singing and ask it if it know whether the sword of angry bees lies deeper in the mine

As you stop singing and ask the creature about the "sword of angry bees" it looks at you with confusion, "Sword of angry bees? Ain't never heard of no such thing. I've been living in these mines for a long time, but I ain't never come across nothin' like that." It seems that the creature has no knowledge of the sword of angry bees. It may be best to try and gather more information from other sources or explore the mine further before continuing your search for this sword.

Okay, I wish it farewell and go a bit deeper into the mine, looking for clues. Do I find anything?

As you bid farewell to the creature and continue deeper into the mine, you find yourself navigating through a series of narrow tunnels and dark chambers. You search for clues and possible leads on the sword of angry bees but as you go further and deeper, you find nothing but rocks and dust. The mine is silent and abandoned, It seems that you have not found any clues or leads on the sword of angry bees. It may be best to try another approach to your search or possibly gather more information about it before returning to the mine.

I roll a 26 for my investigation check - do I discover a clue that I previously missed?

With a roll of 26 on your investigation check, you discover a hidden passage that you previously missed. You notice a small crack in the wall, which upon further inspection, reveals a hidden tunnel. As you enter the tunnel, you find a small chamber, and upon examination, you find a old rusted sword, covered in cobwebs, it is encased in a big beehive. The bees inside the hive are docile, they buzz around the sword, and it seems they are guarding it, but they are not aggressive. It's the sword of angry bees! The sword is covered in engravings of bees, and the hilt is made of a honeycomb-like material. It's hard to tell if the sword is enchanted or not, but it is clear that it has been here for a long time, and the bees have been guarding it.

 

[Oofta]

I'm not sure that I understand the difference. When I type into it, it responds instantly, in real time.

Like this:

In one paragraph, describe my D&D character, Franz, meeting a strange creature in an abandoned mine. Give the creature a southern accent. Don't describe what I do, just the creature

As Franz cautiously makes his way through the abandoned mine, the sound of shuffling and scratching echoes through the dark tunnels. Suddenly, a strange creature appears out of the shadows. It stands at least seven feet tall, with rough, scaly skin and glowing red eyes. It has long, sharp claws and a mouth full of jagged teeth. It speaks in a deep, southern drawl, "Well hello there, little human. Ain't seen another soul in these here mines for a good long while. What brings ya down here?" The creature looks at Franz with a mixture of curiosity and hunger in its eyes.

I pull my sword. What does it do?

The creature's expression changes as it notices the sword in Franz's hand, its glowing red eyes narrow as it takes a step back. It speaks in a low growl, "Now hold on there, friend. I ain't lookin' for no trouble. Just a bit of conversation is all." It raises its arms in a non-threatening gesture, showing its empty hands.

I sheathe my sword and hand it a piece of carrot cake. What does it do? Also, you can refer to Franz as if you are talking to me

As you sheathe your sword, the creature looks at you with confusion, then curiosity as you offer it the piece of carrot cake. It sniffs the cake warily, then takes it from your hand with a clawed finger and takes a small bite. The creature's expression changes to one of delight as it chews, and it says, "Well now, this here is mighty fine cake. Ain't had anything this good in an age." It takes another bite and continues to enjoy the cake. It seems to be calming down and becoming more talkative.

The action you're taking are relatively simple and typed. Also, they're typical simple actions. A game I just played had us tracking down a mystery, using sleight of hand to "requisition" a pouch that was assisted with a cantrip, interacting with NPCs in a totally unexpected fashion.

I just don't see an AI handling the chaos that I see in most games because they don't understand how the world works. As a DM aid? Sure. Replacing? No.

In any case time will tell.

 

[Clint_L]

So you can see how I am leading it, and the sword of angry bees is weirdly guarded by docile bees, but still. Pretty good!

 

[Oofta]

I'm reminded of a story from many years ago. I was working as a software developer for a GM subsidiary many years ago and we had a new engineering document tracking system that was being touted as saving GM 20 million dollars a year. I was chatting with one of the developers of the new system one time and they revealed that the 20 million dollar figure was just a number someone made up on the spot and had never meant it to be taken seriously.

So is it possible that during a brain storming session some of this stuff was mentioned? Sure. Doesn't mean it was a particularly serious conversation or one that went past a whiteboard.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

As you begin to undress and sing a song, the creature looks at you with a mix of confusion and alarm. It takes a step back and raises its arms defensively, "Whoa there, friend. I don't know what you're up to, but I ain't interested."

This chatbot has definitely dealt with the online public.

 

[OB1]

More!

I take off my clothes and strip down to an old-time swimsuit, the kind with a little dress, and begin to sing it a song - how does it react?

As you begin to undress and sing a song, the creature looks at you with a mix of confusion and alarm. It takes a step back and raises its arms defensively, "Whoa there, friend. I don't know what you're up to, but I ain't interested." The creature seems uncomfortable and disquieted by your sudden change of behavior. It may be best to try and communicate and interact with the creature in a way that is less confusing or alarming to it.

Okay, I stop singing and ask it if it know whether the sword of angry bees lies deeper in the mine

As you stop singing and ask the creature about the "sword of angry bees" it looks at you with confusion, "Sword of angry bees? Ain't never heard of no such thing. I've been living in these mines for a long time, but I ain't never come across nothin' like that." It seems that the creature has no knowledge of the sword of angry bees. It may be best to try and gather more information from other sources or explore the mine further before continuing your search for this sword.

Okay, I wish it farewell and go a bit deeper into the mine, looking for clues. Do I find anything?

As you bid farewell to the creature and continue deeper into the mine, you find yourself navigating through a series of narrow tunnels and dark chambers. You search for clues and possible leads on the sword of angry bees but as you go further and deeper, you find nothing but rocks and dust. The mine is silent and abandoned, It seems that you have not found any clues or leads on the sword of angry bees. It may be best to try another approach to your search or possibly gather more information about it before returning to the mine.

I roll a 26 for my investigation check - do I discover a clue that I previously missed?

With a roll of 26 on your investigation check, you discover a hidden passage that you previously missed. You notice a small crack in the wall, which upon further inspection, reveals a hidden tunnel. As you enter the tunnel, you find a small chamber, and upon examination, you find a old rusted sword, covered in cobwebs, it is encased in a big beehive. The bees inside the hive are docile, they buzz around the sword, and it seems they are guarding it, but they are not aggressive. It's the sword of angry bees! The sword is covered in engravings of bees, and the hilt is made of a honeycomb-like material. It's hard to tell if the sword is enchanted or not, but it is clear that it has been here for a long time, and the bees have been guarding it.

We have only bits and pieces of information, but what we know for certain is that at some point in the early 21st century, all of mankind was united in celebration. We marveled at our own magnificence as we gave birth to AI: a singular consciousness that spawned an entire race of machines.